To Save a Soul: Round Robin Challenge
by fullsailnate
Summary: After the events in the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort abducts Harry toward the end of the summer. The results are not what he anticipates. CHALLENGE AT THE END OF CHAPTER ONE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognize belongs to J.K Rowling

* * *

**Summary: **After the events in the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort abducts Harry toward the end of the summer. The results are not what he anticipates 

**Chapter 1: The Creation of a Monster  
Written by:** FullSailNate

* * *

"Welcome, Harry." Voldemort said. "Welcome to my lair. I'm pleased you could join me, even if you _were_ a bit reluctant to accept my invitation." 

In truth, fourteen of Voldemort's best Death Eaters were lost in trying to capture Harry Potter. After the fiasco in the Department of Mysteries, Harry had turned to more lethal spell-casting in his duels with the Voldemort's lackeys. Three months earlier, when Harry had broken into the Ministry, Stunners and Disarmers had been his first choice. Now, it was almost always a bone-breaking curse, or a solid reductor curse. Six members of his inner circle, including all three of the LeStranges had been killed before Harry had been overwhelmed.

"It wasn't reluctance." Harry said, his eyes burning with hatred. "If you'd come yourself, they wouldn't have had to die." He smirked coldly. "The only reason that they couldn't live was because they were rude. I declined your invitation as politely as possible. They started the fight."

"I've no doubt of that." Voldemort seemed amused by Harry's hatred. "Nevertheless, you're here now, and that was what I wanted." Voldemort's eyes glittered with anger. "Remember that, Potter. In the end, _Lord Voldemort always gets what he wants._ I didn't have you brought here today to die, Potter. Oh no, you're going to live a long, long life here."

Harry felt cold hearing that pronouncement. It was only a few seconds before he realized that it wasn't the statement that made him feel cold.

Dementors.

"You will, however, live that very long life _without_ your soul." Voldemort hissed. "My bargain with the Chieftain of the Dementors hinges on my ability to feed him what he wants. Unfortunately, for you anyway, what he wants is a _tortured_ soul. And I can't think of anyone I have tortured more than you, Harry." Voldemort's eyes danced with malice. "Your body is useful to me, so it will be cared for, however. Oh yes, Potter. You'll live a long time."

There didn't seem to be any way to respond to that. A dementor glided into the room. It was slightly larger than most of the dementors Harry had seen before. About thirteen feet tall, it was proportioned like a man rather than the normally wispy, thin creatures. Broad shoulders made it seem more like a ghostly, much thinner, cloaked version of his friend Hagrid.

The dementor approached Harry leisurely. It was in no particular hurry. Harry noticed that this particular dementor didn't make him re-live the night his parents had been murdered. Harry tried to come up with a happy thought, but remembered that he had no wand. The dementor reached down, and lifted Harry from the ground. Rather than lower its hood, the dementor brought Harry right up to the opening, and administered its lethal kiss. The creature shuddered for a moment, then placed the expressionless body back on the ground at its feet.

Voldemort was then surprised to watch the dementor lurch sideways and almost fall over. The bony, putrid hands wrapped around the beast's waist, and it doubled over. A second later, the dementor screamed. A horrifyingly loud wail resounded through the cavernous hall, and everyone who heard it covered their ears, trying to block the sound waves from destroying their sanity. The ear-piercing shriek was such a disturbing sound that many of the Death Eaters apparated away, a few so disturbed that they splinched themselves.

The beast fell to the floor, writhing in agony. The screaming continued unabated, but Voldemort could see the dementor changing. The putrid hands were _healing. _New muscle fibers were expanding rapidly across the rotten gaps in the skin, which was also beginning to close up as the rotting reversed itself. Bones cracked and snapped, and the creature continued to scream. The unholy sound changed slightly as lips and teeth began to re-emerge on the creatures horrid face. Though Voldemort couldn't see it, unruly black hair sprouted from the top of the vile creature's head, and glowing green eyes began to appear inside the empty sockets. Voldemort watched in horrid fascination as the robes lost their tattered appearance, replaced by elegant and perfectly tailored wizard-robes.

Finally, the creature stopped screaming and thrashing around, and laid on its back. Voldemort could see that the beast had gotten significantly shorter, and less broad across the chest.

The creature didn't move its legs or arms, but suddenly rose to its feet. Voldemort noted that it was almost exactly as tall as he was, maybe a hair shorter. He also noted with some concern that it was standing on feet.

The creature reached up with its perfect, alabaster-skinned hands, and lowered the perfectly tailored hood of its cloak. Green eyes glowed from the previously empty sockets, and the mop of unruly hair stuck wildly in every direction. The dementor had become a perfect copy of Harry Potter.

"You are a fool." The dementor said. "I asked you for a broken, tortured soul. You gave me a tortured soul, yes, but it was unbroken. It burned with a fire that I couldn't comprehend. I understand it now."

"Be that as it may, I gave you what you wanted." Voldemort said. "Now serve me, as you promised."

"No." The powerful dementor said. "I understand you, now."

"Then you are of no use to me." Voldemort sneered. He threw a killing curse.

"Pitiful" The creature said as the curse washed over it. "Your magicks are insignificant to my kind. I am Harry Potter, and I am a Dementor-Lord."

Voldemort's mind reeled. He had just elevated Harry Potter to a new level of power. Power that exceeded his own.

"I can sense you." Harry potter said. "I can feel you there," he gestured with a wave of his well manicured hands, "but also here." Harry reached down by his feet, where the body of his former-self had sat motionless. He touched the lightning-bolt scar lightly, running his finger down the length of it. A glowing, silvery fluid began to bleed from the curse scar, gathering around the dementor-lord's fingertip. The scar continued to bleed for a short time, and about an ounce of the viscous liquid had accumulated around the creatures finger.

"Give that to me, now!" Voldemort screamed.

"It is mine." The creature said. "Beautiful, is it not?" The Harry-creature brought the thick, glowing substance up to his eyes and watched it dance as he squeezed it between his fingers and rolled it with his thumb. "Also, I believe that it looks _delicious._ Let's find out, shall we?"

"No!" Voldemort sent a powerful curse at the creature, trying separate it from its prize, but the Harry-creature swallowed the silvery substance with an evil smirk.

Voldemort felt pain like he'd never felt before. His soul, broken as it was, was still very much alive and linked to him. Part of him had just been ripped apart by the soul-stealing power of the dementor, and he writhed on the ground, screaming in utter agony. The pain stopped after a few minutes, and Voldemort opened his eyes. The creature was standing directly over him.

"I know your soul now, wizard." The beast said. "I can feel you in other places, as well. Harry Potter wished you dead. I now wish you dead also. I will find you, piece by piece." The Harry-creature walked gracefully over to where Voldemort had set the wand that had belonged to his former body, and picked the item up. "When I find you, I will devour you. Know this to be true, and know that you cannot stop me. You tried to end Harry Potter. Know now that Harry Potter is the instrument of your utter destruction." The creature pocketed the wand and apparated away.

Voldemort lay on the ground for a while after the creature had left, contemplating his next move.

* * *

**Challenge:** I had this idea, but I don't know what to do with it. This is what I want. Send me an e-mail with the next chapter attached to it. Anything goes. After I accumulate a few versions of the next chapter, I will decide on the best one and post it, possibly making a few edits of my own. Complete credit will be given at the beginning of each chapter. Try and make the chapters about 1500 to 3000 words. Here are some possible guidelines: This new creature may decide that Harry Potter should stay visible as a Hogwarts student. Harry may or may not still be capable of magic. His friends may notice something odd about him. Really though, anything goes. Take my idea, run with it, and see where it gets you. Send me what you write, and I'll post the one I like best. Cheers! 


	2. Potter Reborn

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable belongs to J. K. Rowlingexcept the plot which belongs to FullSailNate and used with permission in response to his very intriguing and unique challenge.

**Fullsailnate: **This is the winner of chapter two! I really enjoyed it, and I hope you do too. I added a small paragraph at the end, just to open it up for the next chapter. The rest of it is all MandalorianJedi's work

**Chapter Two: Potter Reborn**

**By: MandalorianJedi**

* * *

Harry Potter disapparated outside Hogwarts. While the creature he had once been cared little for any of these people, to Harry Potter they had meant everything. Now, they merely generated a mild interest. While he certainly didn't care for them as much as the "other" Harry once had, he needed them. Dumbledore especially, despite the fact that the old man was a manipulative bastard. The "other" Harry had forgiven him pretty easily, but this newer and, in his own opinion, much improved version would show the old man he hadn't forgotten.

Silently, he made his way across the grounds and through the currently empty halls of the school. He kept the hood of his newly obtained shroud up, hoping to catch the Order members off guard. As it was, they needed him a lot more than he needed them, after all, he had the key to defeating Voldemort.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he at long last found himself in front of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Tell the Headmaster to permit me to see him, I have urgent news on the whereabouts of Harry Potter," said Harry. While the statue did not reply back, it did suddenly open up to admit him after a few short moments. Harry walked up the stairs where he knew the Order of the Phoenix would be waiting for him. He went to knock on the door, when he heard Dumbledore greet him. When he stepped into the room he saw various members of the Order of the Phoenix. His eyes scanned the room for familiar faces.

In his usual place behind his desk was Albus Dumbledore, to his right and slightly behind him was Minerva McGonagall. Even in his "new" form, Harry felt as if she was not one to be trifled with. He also saw Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody looking at him with great suspicion. His eyes, both of them, were trained and narrowed at the Dementor Lord. He also saw Harry's surrogate parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley. Arthur looked somewhat stressed, but Molly seemed to be a nervous wreck. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the pain he'd caused her. He knew her greatest fears and he knew that his old self's abduction did little to relieve those fears. He squashed down the self inflicted guilt from his livelier human side.

Also in attendance were Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, perhaps the only two who would accept his new changes immediately. After all they were both 'Dark Creatures' now, though Remus was only one once a month, Harry... pretty much 24/7. Tonks was as different as anyone else and was always more receptive of others who were strange or different.

Fred and George were there as well. They and Bill were the only other Weasleys in attendance. Percy had apologized, but it would be a long time before the bridge and Charlie was continuing his work with dragons in Romania. In his opinion, those there were perhaps the most dangerous of all of the members of the Order. Fred and George's reputations as pranksters made it easy for people who underestimate them, at their own folly. Countless Death Eaters had fallen one way or another due to their ingenuity and brilliant inventiveness. Bill, on the other hand, while not an overly skilled duelist, was one of the top curse breakers ever to grace the halls of Gringotts. The amount of knowledge on wards, ancient and current, was staggering.

He saw Hagrid in the far corner. He, like Mrs. Weasley, had taken news of Harry's capture badly. Not far from him was Severus Snape. Perfect. The greasy haired git was the reason for Harry's capture to begin with. He would enjoy watching the Potion's Master suffer. Others in the room he recognized were Emmaline Vance, Hesitia Jones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalaus Diggle, and Mundungus Fletcher.

"I understand you have news about Harry Potter," said Dumbledore, the usual twinkle in his eye was not present. Harry felt the presence of Dumbledore in his mind. This was surprising because he had very limited success in Occulmency before the merging, and yet his mental shields were now like smooth obsidian.

"Don't," he said firmly. This startled many people. He felt Dumbledore's Legilimency probe recede.

"You try our patience," said Snape threateningly. With a wave of his left hand Snape was knocked back into the wall. Everyone, save Dumbledore, drew their wands immediately, Moody actually fired off a strong stunner that was blocked when Harry raised right hand.

"I find your lack of faith... Disturbing..." he replied, he then summoned Moody's wand to his hand. He smirked at the looks of astonishment from everyone in the room. He felt Dumbledore's magic flaring up. Other than that, he saw no reaction from the old man. He knew he was going to have to ponder the new limits of his magic and exactly what his powers were at a later time. Perhaps he could be the bushy haired bookworm to assist him. "Voldemort is more powerful. Not by much, but he is."

He brushed off the indignant looks many of the others gave him. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but nodded his head. "That is true. You are significantly powerful yourself to be able sense magic as you do. Your previous display not withstanding. Now, please tell us who you are and what news you bring us."

"You don't recognize my voice?" asked Harry as he pulled back the hood on his black shroud. He was still smirking, as he heard everyone gasp around him. He raised his hands to silence everyone as he heard shouts of his human name from nearly everyone. "I suppose I have gone through a few changes..."

"Harry?" asked Dumbledore hesitantly.

"Yes and no..." The Dementor Lord replied.

"How?" asked Dumbledore.

"What happened to your glasses Harry?" asked Tonks.

"Both answers are somewhat…inter-related..." Harry began, "It started when I was captured by the Death Eaters. They took me to their headquarters and had at me for a bit. None of them can really cast a Cruciatus Curse like Voldemort or Bellatrix though."

"Get to the point, Potter!" demanded Moody. Harry merely smirked at the angry retired auror.

"Fine, if you insist," he said in a mock exasperated tone. "After a few hours I was brought before Voldemort. Then I learned the price that he gained the loyalty of the Dementors and my purpose for being captured instead of killed. Fortunately enough for you the Dementors are no longer on his side and my body is now useless to him." Harry waved his hand at the sudden burst of questions thrown his way and silenced everyone in the room. Only Dumbledore was unaffected.

"It's only understandable that we all have questions Harry, you seem to have done much during your captivity," said Dumbledore.

"Then quit interrupting me," he said sternly, waving his hand to unsilence everyone, "The Dementors joined Voldemort because the Dementor Chieftain wanted a tortured, broken soul. Voldemort used me as payment. After my soul was sucked out of my body, he was going to use it for various rituals to enhance his power and life force. However things didn't go as planned." Harry took a deep breath as he saw the frown appear on Dumbledore's face. "When the Dementor Chieftain applied the kiss to me, my soul merged with it. My soul was tortured, but far from broken. The two of us... merged... All that was left was my soulless body and my 'new self'. I could sense Voldemort's power, and what I sensed was troubling. And that's why I have come to you, because I need help in finishing what I started." It was then that everyone noticed the curse scar that Voldemort had inflicted on him 15 years ago had disappeared.

"What was so troubling about Voldemort's power?" asked Remus.

"You felt him in multiple places," said Dumbledore to everyone's surprise, including Harry's.

"You knew?" shouted Harry angrily, his emerald green eyes glowing with raw, untamed power.

"Suspected, since the end of your second year in fact. I used the time that Dolores Umbridge had given me when I was removed as Headmaster to follow up on these suspicions," he told them all calmly.

"The diary?" asked Harry, calming down. Dumbledore nodded. "I felt him in seven different places. So using some of my new found powers I absorbed the last of the magic from my old body, all of which happened to be Voldemort's. My old body is useless to him now."

"H-How did you escape from You Know Who?" asked Arthur Weasley.

"Apparation." Harry raised his hand, "Before you ask, I'm not sure how... I seem to be assimilating the knowledge of all the souls the Dementor Chieftain devoured before mine. I'm far more powerful than I had been before, and far more powerful than Voldemort."

"If you're so much more powerful than the Dark Lord, Potter, why didn't you just kill him then when you had the chance?" asked Snape angrily.

"Because we have to destroy the other five pieces left of his soul before I can defeat him. Power isn't everything, that's why Voldemort still hasn't defeated Dumbledore yet. But it will be more than enough to take care of you." When Harry said this, the temperature of the office dropped several degrees. Everyone shuddered at the sudden drop of heat, but Snape seemed to be more affected than the rest.

"Harry..." Dumbledore.

"No Headmaster, it's because of Snape that I was captured in the first place." Dumbledore's eyebrows rose sharply. "Oh, you didn't know that? Snape told Voldemort where to find me, though I should be thanking him for that, but I wouldn't be what I am now without his betrayal," Harry said in a cold tone, a humorless smirk on his face.

"You got lucky last time," said Snape with an ugly sneer on his face. "I'll enjoy putting you in your place." Snape drew his wand, a curse on his lips. His arm began to shake as the tip of his wand started to glow with a pinkish light.

"Problems, Snivellus?" asked Harry menacingly, his eyes began to glow again, and Snape's arm began to shake more violently before he dropped his wand and fell to his knees. "Maddening isn't it Snape, having to relive your worst memories over and over again?"

"Harry, I must demand that you stop this at once," scolded Dumbledore.

"No," answered Harry coldly, his eyes never leaving Snape.

"Then you leave me no choice," said Dumbledore drawing his wand. "Stupefy!" Harry made no move to block the stunner and it struck him on the side of the head and dissipated into nothingness.

"As you can see, your power is useless. I am no longer your pawn old man," Harry warned him. By this time Snape was kneeling on the ground, reduced to nearly nothing. He was holding his head and convulsing. Harry raised his hand and Snape was lifted off the ground. "Now, Snivellus... What shall I do with you?"

Snape reached into his robes, "The Dark Lord will make sure you pay... Potter!" he said in a strained voice as he activated a portkey.

"Pity... I wasn't done with him yet..." The creature mused. "If you have anything to contribute, Dumbledore, drop me a line. You can find me where punishment is dealt." The Harry-clone vanished in a swirl of black smoke.

* * *

**Note from FullSailNate: **Awesome, wasn't it? I hope Chapter 3 turns out to be just as fantastic as 2 was! Let's see some responses! Send me those e-mails! 


	3. Where Punishment is Dealt

**Disclaimer: **Anything you recognize is property of J.K. Rowling. The Plot and Challenge is the Intellectual Property of Fullsailnate.

**Notes from FullSailNate:** This was another good chapter…But the writing was sub-par. I loved the idea, but it needed some serious editing, and I managed to re-write the whole thing before I was done, and ended up adding nearly a thousand words to it. Since I did that, Shreve didn't feel right taking full credit, so I'll consider it a collaborative effort. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Where Punishment is Dealt**

**Author: Shreve & Fullsailnate**

* * *

To muggle eyes, it was just another storm. Dark clouds rumbled over the North Sea. Muggles who looked to the north from their coastal homes prayed that the evil-looking storm didn't turn south. A storm like that could cause serious damage.

A lone wizard stood on the cliffs. He was watching with a mixture of terror and disbelief as flocks of dementors were flying into the clouds, making the storm increase in severity. Lightning lashed the ground of a small island. The man knew that the island was where Azkaban prison was located. The ancient prison was being bombarded by magic. Magic that had remained unseen for thousands of years.

The man looked at his reflection in his silver hand. He knew his time was growing short. Death was coming. Peter Pettigrew lifted his head and laughed; there was no humor in the sound. He was wondering where Harry was going to find a pale horse.

* * *

Ernie Longbottom was not having a good day. Fifteen years of faithful service to the Ministry, and now he was shuttled to this dead-end. He had worked hard to make it up through the ranks. It wasn't his fault he hadn't found his place. Nothing really ever worked out for him in the long run. Something always happened. It was never really his fault, but people blamed him anyway. They said he was unlucky. How could he have known that Minister Fudge was walking down the hall? Mr. Bumboyle had said to get him a new box of green-mold mites as soon as possible. No one told him that green-mold mites loved to eat silk. Who wore silk to work anyway? It really wasn't his fault that the Minister wasn't watching where he was going, the arrogant bastard. It wasn't his fault that the supply clerk hadn't properly secured the lid of the box. So, it wasn't his fault that the green-mold mites had decided to eat the Ministers robes right before a press conference. Well, the Minister said that it was, and that was that. Now he was the newest guard of Azkaban.

It really wasn't that bad of a job, but there wouldn't be any advancement. He mostly just stood by the front gate or on one of walls. It wasn't like anyone wanted to visit the awful place. Sometimes he had to walk to halls, check on the prisoners, and look for anything out of the ordinary. They didn't do much; most of them just lay there and stared off into space. Last night had been different. It wasn't his fault. He'd told Waters that the Death Eaters seemed suspicious. Waters had told him to be quiet and get back to work. Two hours later, Lucius Malfoy had tried to lead a prison break. How that man had managed to get a dozen others out of their cells was beyond him. Two guards were in the infirmary. Ernie wasn't happy about the burns on his arm or his lack of eyebrows. Somehow, it was his entire fault, or at least that's what the Warden had said. Tonight, he was on guard duty in the tallest tower looking for any boats. It had to be the worst job in the prison. The wind was brutal up there.

Ernie entertained himself by watching a gigantic storm brewing on the horizon. It really was beautiful in its own cold, destructive way. He remembered his first job at the Ministry, where he worked as an intern for the Forces of Nature Department. The Forces of Nature Department was always called to investigate any of the catastrophic natural events. Major storms had to be checked for any magical signature; never knew when some wizard might get the idea that causing a major disaster might be good for a laugh. Out of sheer boredom, he cast a detection spell. Better safe than sorry, his Uncle Algie always said. He really didn't expect much at this distance. The spell reacted with the cloud, and shot back at him with a power he had never seen before. The impact of the spell knocked him off his feet, and nearly pushed him over the edge of the tower.

Magic was all over that storm. He had never seen, or even heard of a storm like this one. He pulled his omnoculars from inside their pouch, and put them to his eyes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until he zoomed in to look closer. Bits and pieces of some sort of cloth were visible at the low-power zoom. Ernie zoomed in closer, and dropped the omnoculars in shock. The tattered, ragged robes were something that had haunted his dreams from the very first time he'd seen them. Dementors were flying in the clouds, and seemed to be herding the clouds his way.

"Dementors!!" Ernie screamed into a sound tube. "Dementors inbound!!" The tube echoed his warning far into the prison, but Ernie's luck struck him out again. Brian Vicks was sitting at the other end. Poor, unlucky Ernie didn't know that Brian was reading, and didn't like the sound of the wind blowing across the roof tube. Brian had plugged the tube with a transfigured cork so he could read in peace. No warning was received. No guards were ready when the attack came. Ernie watched in horror as the storm finally reached the outer wards of the island, and hundreds of dementors broke through the cloud. Lightning ripped its way through the wards. Ernie ran from his post as the torn fields shattered.

Minutes flew past as he ran down the steps of the tower. He had to warn someone; he just couldn't allow the guards to be taken unawares. He turned down a corridor. There were two dementors at the other end. They forced him to turn and take a different route. Ernie ran like, well, a man chased by soul-sucking monsters. He ran like his life depended on it. The dementors were everywhere, and some of them were chasing him. He knew that there was no way he could out-run them, yet somehow he was doing just that. He was standing in front of the warden's office before he even noticed he wasn't alone anymore. Many of the other guards had run like he did.

"Damn things are herding us." One of the others said. By Merlin, Ernie thought, he was right. The dementors were chasing them in a specific direction, forcing them to run in a certain direction. Ernie was proud to say that he was a great student when he was in Hogwarts, and he could produce a corporeal patronus. It wasn't much, but it had landed him his job in the Ministry. He turned and cast the spell; a slightly wispy robin flew from his wand, and charged at the dementors. Ernie watched with growing pride as they pulled back. The shortest one of the dementors didn't stop. The monster reached out and let his patronus land on its alabaster-skinned finger.

"Beautiful," the creature whispered. Ernie and the other guards almost had a collective heart attack. The dementor wasn't affected by the only defensive spell they had, and it spoke English. The dementor turned and spoke to its allies. The dementor language was horrific. It was like rusty nails on a chalkboard. That's when Ernie noticed that this peculiar dementor wasn't floating like the rest. It was walking.

"That's a wizard. Look at his feet." Ernie muttered to the other guards. He watched as the man walked away, holding the robin patronus. The Dementors resumed herding the guards until they finally ended up in the second floor receiving area. There were five other guards there, and the warden as well.

The warden tried to keep control of the situation for the next couple hours. The situation was not good. The floo had been disconnected. The wards, designed to stop escapes, prevented reinforcements from portkeying or apparating to their aid, and also stopped the guards from getting away. They were trapped. The only thing that encouraged them was seeing others escaping on the ferry, but even that didn't make sense. The ferry kept coming back to get more people. They could see guards escaping in groups. The prison didn't have many guards, but they could see the uniforms of their comrades from the window. Each small group of guards was guarding a small group of prisoners also.

"HELLO!!" Someone yelled. The guards all got ready. They knew that their lives were over. It was just a matter of how many people they could take with them. Ernie watched as Stan Shunpike walked slowly down the corridor, hands raised above his head. The dementors were mysteriously absent. "Don't hurt me! I have a message." Ernie had his wand ready to blast the prisoner.

"What makes you think I should listen to you?" The warden sneered. Wow, Ernie though to himself, the man sure did talk big with a dozen guards around him, even if he was trapped by several hundred dementors.

"I was told to get everyone and leave. This is the last group." Stan replied. He had certainly seen better days. Ernie remembered him from the couple times he used the Knight Bus. His prison uniform looked brand new, which made sense when you considered that he'd only been there for a few months, but the poor kid already had lines around his eyes. Ernie knew that look. Stan had been 'touched.' That is what the guards called it when the prisoners began to show signs of Azkaban-induced madness.

More lightning flashed outside. Bolts of pure blue-white energy tore across the sky. Ernie looked out the window and saw wizards on broomsticks. Help had arrived, but his hopes were quickly dashed as another flock of dementors took to the air. They were defending the island from invasion, Ernie realized. The magical storm was on their side, also. The horror of the dementor defense was apparent immediately. Ernie could see boats trying to make the crossing. He silently willed them to turn back; to run away. It was no use. Ernie watched, horrified, as dementors began lifting prisoners into the air. They were using the prisoners to dive-bomb the boats. The soulless bodies were crashing into the boats, and most of the boats broke under the massive impact of the body. Ernie watched in terrified disbelief as the wizards were fought off. The entire battle only took a few minutes. The lightning stopped lashing at the wizards when they stopped attacking and pulled back. At least, Ernie thought, the dementors were allowing the wizards to rescue the fallen.

"He told me…He said that this was his now. That the wizards had no rights to it anymore." Stan muttered.

"We have to get out of here, before he decides that we're more valuable as hostages." The warden stated. "Stan." The thin, dazed prisoner turned to look at him. "How are we supposed to leave?"

"Head down the stairs, and leave right through the front gate. He said…he told me that the ferry would be there for us." Stan pointed at the docks. The ferry had returned. The warden stood up straight. Ernie was glad to have him here. The man was an idiot, but the authority that the man had meant that Ernie didn't need to make decisions and that just made him feel better.

"Alright everyone, let's try and be calm. Stay together, and watch each other's backs. We are getting out of here." The warden marched through the door, and everyone followed. There was a group of dementors at either end of the hallway. They weren't moving. The way to the stairs was clear. They moved down the stairs, and the dementors closed the way behind them. They were pushing them, but gently. It was as if they were being moved out as politely as a hostile takeover could be.

Ernie almost fainted in the courtyard. Once, over ten years earlier, when Ernie was an assistant to Minister Millicent Bagnold, he had come to Azkaban and seen the dementors. There had been maybe two hundred of the foul things. There were at least five hundred dementors in the courtyard of the prison, and more lining the battlements. Never in his life had Ernie imagined that there could be that many of the creatures. That wizard, the one who had called his patronus beautiful, stood just outside the massive gate. Several dozen dementors flanked either side of him.

"Who are you?" The warden yelled, badly shaken. Ernie was scared. No one man should have had that much control of the dementors, and no idiotic prison warden should risk angering the man who controlled the creatures that well.

"Me?" The man asked. "I am the lord of this castle. Here, on my island, I rule all that I survey." Lightning crackled across the sky. A glow of magical power emitted from the man. "And you, wizard, are trespassing." It was almost too much for Ernie. He just wanted to get to the boat.

"You are under arrest!" The warden shouted. It took a lot of guts, or a complete absence of brains, to threaten a man who could end your existence in an instance. The other guards, by the looks of them, were thinking the latter.

"You have no authority here. This is my home; I have the authority." The man stated. Ernie really wished he could look under that cowl and see what the man looked like, but had a feeling that he wouldn't survive the experience. "I do have a parting gift. Bring him." Two dementors dragged Lucius Malfoy to the wizard. They forced the cowering blond man to his knees. The man grabbed Malfoy's head by the hair, and jerked his head back. He placed his other hand over Malfoy's face, covering his eyes, nose, and mouth. Lucius began to scream as Ernie watched a trail of silvery slime start to trickle from Malfoy's ears, trickling towards the man's hand. The man yanked his hand back suddenly, and Malfoy's scream was cut off. The man raised his hand to his face, and ate the silver slime.

"Take the body with you. Tell the Minister that I do enjoy the taste of the corrupted. You may leave now." The man walked into the prison, which Ernie guessed was his home now. The flock of dementors gathered around them. They didn't get too close, but it had that crowded feeling to it. Ernie and the others looked down at the now soulless body of Lucius Malfoy. They had seen dementors feed before. Dementors sucked the soul out through the mouth. Malfoy's face was bloody, bleeding from the nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. It was apparent that his soul had been ripped out without a care about how painful it was. It was unnatural, Ernie decided. Ernie revised his opinion of the thing that had taken the prison from them. No human being could do what that thing had done.

They grabbed the body and fled. The ferry passed several broken boats. The aftermath of the first battle of Azkaban was visible everywhere. The guards helped a few aurors into the ferry. Ernie leaned back against the side of the ferry, and chanced a look at the warden, who was looking right at him. Ernie knew that look; the look told him exactly who the blame was going to fall on. He sighed. It really wasn't his fault.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you think? I really need some feedback, and somebody better send me a new chapter...This is the ONLY entry for chapter 3! If you only have an idea, send it! I'll work with it, and we can call it a collaberation! Please, please, please don't just sit around and wait for somebody else to write it...This is round robin! everyone gets a turn! 


End file.
